Rainy Days
by ashenoaks
Summary: [Modern AU] Levy just wants to sit at home and read, but Gajeel has other ideas.
1. Chapter 1: Cold and Comfort

**Chapter 1: Cold and Comfort**

* * *

Levy watched as the rain hammered against the window on a cold winter morning. She sighed, fogging a small patch on the chilled glass with her warm breath.

Behind her, she heard a click as the kettle finished boiling. With renewed enthusiasm, Levy turned and skipped into the kitchen. Her small slippers clacked on the hard linoleum as she walked to the cupboard in which she kept all of her cups.

After rooting through the cupboard, she pulled out a large white and purple spotted mug. With a smile, she placed it on the counter and poured herself a hot cup of black tea.

Carefully adjusting her cardigan around her petite chest, Levy picked up the cup and moved into the front room to settle into a chair and enjoy a day of reading.  
She gave the thick novel on her coffee table a glance as she put the tea down on the table and walked over to the thermostat to adjust the heating a little. She was currently reading a fantasy sci-fi novel recommended to her by her best friend, Lucy, about new planets and dragons.

Settling into her comfy reading chair by the window, Levy reached down beside the chair and pulled a large blanket over her lap. The blanket, which was white with repeating prints of a black cat with rounded ears and a scarred eye, was Levy's favourite blanket; and of course the warmest.  
She smiled to herself, feeling the wonderful comfort of home, and finally reached for her book.

Before her fingers could brush the thin paper of the dustcover, there was a heavy rhythmic knock at the door, and the sound of impatient tapping on the floorboards.  
Levy sighed, lowering her head for a moment before pushing the blanket aside and walking to the door without particularly high spirits. She stood on her tiptoes to look through the peep hole, only to be met with more of the door. Levy looked briefly and disappointedly up to the terribly underused peep hole before standing back on her feet. She was startled as another, more rapid, set of knocks came at the door. She rocked back on her heels for a moment, before quickly responding.

"W-Who–" She began, before she was interrupted.  
"Ya know who it is, Shrimp, open up! I'm freezin' my ass off out 'ere!" A deep voice responded.  
Levy's heart fluttered and a slight blush dusted her cheeks. She fixed her headband and held her cardigan closed with one of her hands.  
"J-just a minute!" she replied, hurrying to unlatch and open the door.  
A tall, muscular man burst through the partly-opened door impatiently, closing it behind him. Levy took a surprised step back, her eyes wide.

The large man was soaked through, his long black mane sopping wet and dripping onto the wooden floorboards. He looked at Levy, his fierce eyes looking straight through her.

"It's rainin'." He simply said, his face remaining straight.  
Levy nodded slowly, responding with a quiet 'mhm'. They stood there for a moment, looking at eachother expectantly before Levy suddenly jumped to life.  
"G-Gajeel! You're soaked! You must be so cold!" She exclaimed, flitting around unsure of what she was doing. "Towels!" she shouted suddenly, before running off towards the bathroom. "Wait right there, don't move!"

And with that, she'd disappeared around a corner, leaving Gajeel standing by the door rolling his eyes.  
He chuckled and took off his heavy, black boots. He chucked them in the corner before hanging up his overcoat and heading to the kitchen for a bowl to catch the drips before they pooled.  
When Levy returned, an excessive amount of towels in hand, Gajeel was seated on a stool in Levy's kitchen unpacking the bag he'd brought with him. He looked up and smiled smugly at her.

"Ye sure ya got enough towels there, Shrimp?" he asked, grinning.  
Levy puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away.  
"Well if you aren't going to be grateful then..." she paused for a moment, her resolve wavering.  
Gajeel's grin got even wider.  
"Gi hi, then…what?"  
"Gah! Just take them, stupid Gajeel!" Levy cried, throwing the towels at him and covering her suddenly red face with her arm.

Gajeel took the towels, laughing, and dried himself off as best he could. As he was shaking the water out of his hair like a dog, Levy was nosing through still-unpacked the contents of the bag. She noted packets of cookies, sachets of hot chocolate, a rectangular brown package and a few things she couldn't see well at the bottom.  
Gajeel finished drying off and put the towels on the stool beside him. He grunted at Levy and she quickly turned away from the bag, blushing.  
He smiled. "Yer a nosy _little_ one, ain't ya?" He said, laughing a little at his own joke.  
Levy puffed out her cheeks again before turning back to Gajeel.

"So… what's in the bag?" She asked suspiciously.  
Gajeel grinned widely and packed everything back into the bag. He ushered her back to the living room and into her reading chair.


	2. Chapter 2: In Lieu of Affection

**Chapter 2: In Lieu of Affection**

* * *

Gajeel sat on the coffee table in front of Levy, the thin wood groaning a little beneath his heavy frame, and began unpacking the rest of the bag.

"So, it's rainin', it's cold and there's nothin' to do. I figured you'd be bored-" He began.  
"Hey, unlike _you_ , Gajeel, I like to read in my spare time. Which I wouldn't mind getting back to-"  
"Don't interrupt, Shrimp" Gajeel interjected.  
Levy stopped speaking, settling further into the chair, her heart aflutter.

"Anyway, I figured you'd be bored so I decided to grace ya with my presence. Great, right?" he said, winking at Levy playfully.  
She sighed, and motioned for him to continue.  
Gajeel pulled the sachets of hot chocolate out of the bag first.  
"I got some hot chocolate because that rain is a bitch and yer flat ain't exactly my kinda warm."  
He placed it on the table beside him, noticing Levy's cup of tea. Without saying a word, he took the cup to the kitchen and poured out the tea.  
Levy watched with her mouth hanging open a little at the boldness of the man.

"Gajeel why-"  
He held up a hand to stop her and took his place on the table again. He reached into the bag and pulled out the cookies.  
"I got cookies because what good're hot drinks without these bad boys?"  
He grinned and put them by the sachets.  
"Next, I rented some funny stuff fer us, trust me Lev, yer gonna love this guy" he said, pointing at some comedy show DVDs he'd pulled from the bottom of the bag. He was talking about a sketch where the comedian had scared his child whilst playing a video game but all Levy could think about was how he'd addressed her.  
 _'Lev'_.  
She blushed, gripping her cardigan a little and clearing her throat.

Gajeel clicked his fingers, the DVD no longer in his hands. The bag was now on his lap and he was covering something with his arm.  
"Hey, Earth to Small Woman. Ya listening to me, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked, before clearing his throat and looking away slightly uncomfortable.  
"And uh, I got ya this too… I know ya like readin' and stuff so I thought I'd pick it up as thanks fer ya hospitality…"

Gajeel pulled the brown package and held it out to Levy, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.  
Levy looked from him to the package, slightly confused. She looked back to Gajeel's face, lingering a little before he thrust the package towards her impatiently.  
Brushing off the thought that maybe she'd seen a pink tinge play across his cheeks, she reached out and took the package. She turned it over and realised it was one of those blind-date books where the book is covered in paper and a short summary is written on it but you don't know what you're picking up until you open it.

Levy grinned, glancing up to Gajeel. He was looking at her nervously, his eyes twinkling.  
"Do ya like it?" He asked.  
She nodded, placing the book on the pile beside her chair.

Gajeel eyed her nervously.  
"Well… aren't ya gonna open it?"  
Levy shook her head. She looked up at him, her eyes glinting sneakily. Gajeel narrowed his eyes at her expectantly. Levy tensed her body, preparing for the attack, and pounced only to come into contact with Gajeel's arm as he dodged.  
"W-what do ya think yer doin', Shrimp?!" he exclaimed, his cheeks going red.

Levy rolled past Gajeel and onto the floor, frowning. Gajeel stood up and stepped around her small frame quickly.  
"Uh I'll go make drinks, get one of those DVDs set up" he said quickly, rushing to the kitchen to make hot chocolate and plate the cookies.  
Levy sat up, blushing hard.  
 _'Why did I do that'_ she thought to herself, standing up and brushing herself off before picking up one of the DVDs and loading it into the television opposite the small sofa.

Levy retrieved the blanket, along with some of her composure, and settled onto the sofa. She left a large portion of the sofa for Gajeel and began choosing language and subtitle settings for the DVD.  
Gajeel returned just as the root menu showed up. He placed the drinks on the coffee table and came back again not a moment later with the plate of cookies. Gajeel sat heavily on the sofa, causing Levy to roll towards him a little as the cushions dipped down.

He held out a hand for the remote to which Levy quickly obliged, handing it to him. Their fingers brushed, shooting little tingles up Levy's fingers. Gajeel cleared his throat and picked a show from the DVD menu, placing the remote on the arm of the chair and settling into the sofa comfortably.

The show lasted for about an hour, in which Levy and Gajeel shared many laughs, inching towards eachother subconsciously each time. By the end of the first show, Levy's cheeks ached and Gajeel's leg was sore from all the times he'd slapped it before erupting into raucous laughter.  
The show faded to black and went back to the menu. Gajeel straightened up and stretched, his hand caressing Levy's face accidentally as he passed her.  
A bright pink followed the trail across her cheek that Gajeel's hand had taken and she turned away, pulling her cardigan tightly around her.

 _'His hands are so warm'_ she thought to herself, her petite fingers touching her burning cheek.  
She giggled a little, trying to hide herself behind her second cup of hot chocolate.


	3. Chapter 3: Hours

**Chapter 3: Hours**

* * *

Watching Gajeel put the third DVD into the player, Levy yawned and rubbed her eyes.

She was warm, comfortable and full of hot chocolate; the perfect conditions for sleep. The rain continued to hammer the windows just as it had that morning.  
Gajeel returned to the sofa, pulling the blanket over his legs and eagerly setting up the menus. Levy felt her eyelids drooping as the first act started with an over-enthusiastic and incredibly sweaty man jumping around on the stage.

She managed to keep her eyes open for what felt like hours but sleep was quickly creeping up on her. She felt her body limply slump to the left, her face touching something warm and soft.  
Levy nuzzled her face into the warmth and let the calm wave of sleep wash over her.

 **Gajeel's POV**

Gajeel leant forward, waiting for the punchline to a joke when he felt a small mass bump his arm. He looked down to see Levy resting against his arm. His eyes snapped back up to the screen, blood rushing to his face. His hands gripped the blanket as he tried hard to concentrate on the show. Before long he heard a tiny noise.  
Realising it was the sound of Levy snoring, Gajeel stared down at the napping bluenette in wonder.

' _Get a grip, Gajeel, yer missin' the show'  
_ He mentally reprimanded himself, turning his attention to the DVD once again. Levy stirred slightly beside him, nuzzling his arm a little before snaking her hands around his arm and cuddling it blissfully.

Gajeel swallowed nervously. He looked at her hands, the stark contrast between her soft, pale skin and his own scarred, olive skin. With a deep breath, he slowly slid his arm out from her weak grip and let her fall onto his side with her head resting on his chest.  
Holding his breath in this throat, he waited for her to wake, but she didn't. Gajeel let out the breath in a sigh of relief and carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.  
In response to the warmth, Levy gripped Gajeel's shirt and sighed happily, nuzzling his chest.

' _Score._ '

With a red face, Gajeel readjusted the blanket around them both and continued watching his show whilst the tiny woman slept blissfully in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4: The Plan

**Hello! This chapter is a short one. I wasn't planning on writing any more after the last chapter because I had some mega writers block but I've just had some rad ideas. I'll be posting chapter 5 in a few days, so stay tuned!**

 *****  
Chapter 4: The Plan**

* * *

It was the crash and flash of a bolt of lightning that awoke the pair.  
Levy awoke with a start, gripping onto Gajeel's shirt and nuzzling her head into his chest with a squeal. Gajeel woke quickly and warily, his eyes sharp as he searched the room for what woke him up. It took a few seconds for Gajeel to realise that it was the storm that had woken them, and thusly not something he could beat up.

He let out a breath and relaxed. Levy, still hiding, slowly lifted her head to look around the room. It was now dark, the TV was flashing with the DVD's homescreen and outside, the city slept.  
Levy rubbed her eyes, sitting up. She shivered once away from Gajeel's warmth and cleared her throat.  
Gajeel, who had been watching as Levy moved away, smiled.

"Sleep well?" He teased, his eyes glinting.  
Levy puffed out her cheeks, turning away so that Gajeel couldn't see her now red face.

"Gi hi, don't worry there Shrimp. I think I fell asleep too."  
Gajeel looked up at the clock, squinting to see the time in the dark room.

"It's gettin' pretty late, I'll leave ya to sleep" he said, stretching as he stood up.  
Another crash of lightning filled the room, making Levy jump.

"Y-you can't go home in that!" she exclaimed, pointing out the window at the barrage of rain hitting the glass.  
Gajeel blinked at her, formulating a plan.

"No?" he said, leaning towards her. The corners of his mouth pulled up slightly in a smug smile. "What would ya have me do, then?"  
Levy blushed, turning away.

"Y-you... I.." she trailed off, going quiet for a moment.  
Gajeel grinned.  
 _'Gotcha.'_

Levy looked Gajeel in the eyes with determination.  
"You'll have to stay here!" she said, her eyes boring through him fiercely.  
Gajeel grinned.

"Yes Ma'am."


	5. Chapter 5: Just A Little Longer

**Hello everyone! I'm back!**

 **I'm sorry I took so long getting this chapter out! It's been a busy few weeks with work and the holidays, etc. I hope this chapter is alright for everyone, I really appreciate the reviews and the comments, you're all so wonderful.  
I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas, and that you have a good new year.**

 **~ Ashe**

 **Chapter 5: Just A Little Longer**

* * *

Levy pulled the curtains closed, blocking out the deluge on the streets below. She risked a sidewards glance at Gajeel who was busy setting up a makeshift bed on the sofa.  
Levy blushed a little thinking about the evening's events.  
Her thoughts wandered to sleep, and how warm Gajeel's skin was, and-

"Oi, Shrimp" Gajeel interrupted, bringing Levy out of her thoughts, blushing still.  
"Y-Yes Gajeel?" she asked slowly.  
"I need to get dressed. I mean, ya can stay if ya want but I'm gonna start strippin' in about... right now."

Gajeel began unbuttoning his jeans and Levy squealed, covering her face.  
"Gajeel, no!" she cried, standing up and running from the room.

Gajeel watched, laughing.  
He walked out to one of the bags he'd hidden under the counter when he'd first arrived and took his sleepwear out of it.  
Chuckling, he threw his day clothes back into the bag and settled comfortably on the sofa.  
"Awright Shrimp, I'm done now, ya can come out" he called, chuckling.  
Gajeel waited expectantly, but Levy didn't come back into the room.  
"Oi, Shrimp?" he called again.  
No response.

Gajeel stood up and began walking towards Levy's room.  
"Levy?" he asked, knocking on her bedroom door. After hearing nothing but more silence, he began to apologise.  
"Lev, hey, I didn't mean to offend ya or freak ya out or anything... it was a joke. Ya ain't mad at me, are ya?"

He paused, with yet again no reply. He continued with a sigh.  
"Look, Lev, I uh... Ya know the last I'd want to do is offend ya, right?"

Gajeel rubbed his neck awkwardly and took a deep breath.  
"I... really like ya, Lev.." he said, leaning his forehead on the door. As he did, the door slowly opened, revealing Levy asleep on her bed.  
Gajeel blinked before realising that he'd been confessing to someone who couldn't even hear him.  
He rubbed his hands over his face and closed the door behind him. He made his way back over to the sofa and laid down to sleep, all the while reprimanding himself for his stupidity.

Gajeel awoke early the next morning, hugging tighter the warm, soft duvet and nuzzling his head into the vanilla scented-  
He stopped, opening his eyes. He was met with the sight of the wavy, blue, hair tickling his cheeks.  
He blinked, confused.  
In his arms, the person stirred, turning into his chest and sighing quietly.  
With a blush creeping up his face, Gajeel nudged the girl, trying to wake her up.  
He was returned a tiny murmur and then silence.  
Gajeel smiled.

"Oi, Shrimp, wake up" he said, nudging some more.  
Levy looked up at him sleepily with her big, brown eyes.  
"Eh?"  
"Sleep well?" he asked, grinning cockily.  
Levy blinked.  
"Ga...jeel?" she asked slowly. "What are you doing in my bed?"  
"Gihi, look again, Shrimp. Yer the one in my bed" he said triumphantly.

Levy sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
She dozily looked around her, realising she was in fact settled on the sofa, her legs still tangled with Gajeel's, imprints of his shirt creases on her arms.  
As it dawned on her what was happening, her face flushed a bright red.

"I- Wh- I'm sorry Gajeel! I don't- I didn't- I- I-" she stammered, covering her face.  
Gajeel laughed.  
"Calm down, Shrimp, I ain't complaining now, am I?" he replied, still laughing.

Levy began to untangle herself to stand up, but Gajeel wrapped his arms back around her and pulled her back to his chest.  
"Just a little longer.." he mumbled.  
Levy slowly relaxed into Gajeel's chest, a smile playing on her lips.

 _"Okay, just a little longer."_


End file.
